OK, I’m pretty sure they were joking … but the DWTS cast did get pretty candid in their first big post-season interview!

Dancing with the StarschampNicole Scherzinger, along with runners-up Evan Lysacek and Erin Andrews,finally got to rest their dancin’ legs this morning when they sat down with their partners for a post-season interview May 26 on ABC’s Good Morning America. And along with their thoughts on the end of the season, they also shared backstage secrets, including that Kate Gosselin was the show’s biggest prankster!

But before they spilled the backstage beans, the three finalists were given special surprised video messages from their friends and family. Olympic figure skater (and former DWTS competitor) Kristi Yamaguchi told Evan he was a “true champion,” Nicole’s fellow Pussycat Dolls showered her with praise and well wishes, and Erin got messages from her proud family.

Here’s what each star had to say about their time on the show:

Nicole: Partner Derek Hough gave her the “best advice” for the show: “Just prepare yourself for the worst, so if anything really good happens, you’ll be surprised. … I had the most amazing people I was dancing up against.” She also took the time to plug her new single “Nobody Can Change Me,” which she described as a “very powerful and uplifting song.”

Erin: “I came to this show under really crummy circumstances. I just wanted to get my life back together, and get my smile back. And actually, [Maksim Chmerkovskiy] and I have a single coming out too!” [Editor’s note: I kind of wish she wasn’t joking.] “It sounds so cliché and corny, but it’s such a family.” In the Q&A session, a fan asked if she and Maks are dating, and Maks responded by saying: “We’re taking name choices for future kids!”

Evan: “I came right into Dancing with the Stars not knowing what to expect, and it’s been so much more than I could have anticipated. The bond we all shared as a cast, with the professionals and the crew, I think we all left last night with a new family. We walked out of that building hand in hand.

It’s so great to see that everybody really is as close as they seemed on the show. It really was the best season yet, and we’re all bummed to say goodbye to it.